Did you know that almost a third of all illegal entries in the United States are unforced? Is your home secure from those who would take advantage of even a momentary lapse in your personal diligence? 'Essential Home Security' is an illustrated, layman's guide to identify and correct the most common home security issues in single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments - the issues regularly exploited by criminals. The book includes an Essential Home Security Checklist designed to quickly point out oft-overlooked, home security weaknesses in a typical residence. The book describes how most security measures carry benefits, a cost, and drawbacks -- and how these three factors must be evaluated in creating a package of security measures that fit your specific needs and financial situation. As the title suggests, 'Essential Home Security' is not a technical manual for security professionals, nor is it a guide to high-end home security solutions. The book is intended for those who have home security concerns and seek a single, concise reference on primary, reasonably-easy-to-execute items that help deter illegal home entry. Whether you're a handyman, or helpless with a toolbox, 'Essential Home Security' is a guide that steps beyond a simple nuts-and-bolts, hardware-based approach. 'Essential Home Security' offers behavioral tips, and offers check-off lists such as "how to be a savvy alarm system shopper," and "key factors to consider before implementing or purchasing home security surveillance equipment," and much more. Security basics, door security, window security, garage security, security light planning, home safes, locks, sheds and exterior property, alarms, simple safe rooms, and many more topics are covered. Technical jargon and theory are avoided unless essential to correctly implementing specific, home security measures. The book focuses on efficient and affordable physical and behavioral steps to reduce the chances of an illegal entry into your home or apartment.

This is a collection of new home builder's common mistakes and oversights. The author, a certified building inspector takes you from ground breaking to final inspection. This book is packed with information which will save you big bucks and possibly even a family members life. If only one mistake is prevented, you've paid for the book. If you are building a home then this book is a must have!

For homeowners with an interest in green issues and energy efficiency, this guide considers the impact of global warming and the international energy crisis before explaining how to evaluate the energy performance of a house and make better use of natural lighting. All aspects are covered of the installation of photovoltaic cells to a residential property using solar power to produce domestic electricity and to heat water. The costs are calculated and the benefits of installing a solar energy system are assessed. This is essential reading for homeowners who wish to take advantage of free environmentally-friendly solar energy, reduce their energy bills in the long run, and help the environment.

A delightful Christmas-inspired how-to book that covers all aspects of creating your own 'Merry Little Christmas', covering all the practicalities of bringing a real pine Christmas tree into your home, as well as a plethora of Christmas crafts and ideas. Illustrated throughout, 'How To Have Your Own Merry Christmas' offers idea after idea for Christmas decorations and crafts around the home, including the more traditional crafts such as decorating with wreaths, to the more modern use of tin cans to create superb and unique decorations. And don't forget the pages and pages of sumptuous Christmas recipes to excite your tastebuds with the wonderful flavors of Christmas.

The cleaning industry is worth billions each year. There isplenty of money to be made, and you don't require anyspecific qualifications to get started. What you do need is arange of key skills, and a personal determination to succeed.This book will give you insider knowledge of the world of office and domestic cleaning. It will provide you with all the practical tools you need to succeed in a competitive but rewarding industry.- The basics required to set up your business and the services you can offer.- How to develop sales, and how to find - and keep - satisfied clients.- How to find good staff, train them, and deal with problems.- How to maintain the quality of your service provision as you grow.- Managing the legal, health & safety, and insurance requirements.- How to develop your brand and grow your company.- Book keeping, debt control and finance- How to develop further lucrative services to offer your client base. Contents: List of Illustrations; Preface; Chapter 1. Working in the cleaning industry 2. Deciding between the various cleaning services; 3. Start up; 4. Keeping your clients happy; 5. Managing your staff; 6. Organizing your first cleaning account; 7. Ensuring quality of service; 8. Health and safety, laws and regulations; 9. Sales, marketing and advertising; 10. Managing finances; 11. Tax and national insurance; 12. Controlling debt; 13. Managing your expansion; 14. Property services; 15. Engaging subcontractors; Appendix 1 Useful Contacts; Appendix 2 The Cleaning Operators' Proficiency Certificate; Appendix 3 Equal opportunties policy; Index

An effective space is one that works for you, liberating you to live the life you want.

Natasha takes you around the home and shares her hacks from the kitchen to the bedroom via the bathroom and entranceway. Never again will you need to step over your "floordrobe", rifle through the shoe rack, or spend ten minutes searching for keys.

Applying Natasha's "house rules" to every room, drawer and cupboard, you'll learn to ditch the complex systems, keep things where you use them and set all-important boundaries throughout your home.

Taking the questionnaire at the start of the book will reveal the priorities for your living space. Then, by implementing daily routines, simple systems and practical processes tailored to your needs, you will create an ideal stress-free environment that looks good, too.

With beautiful photography throughout, and step-by-step diagrams of folds for everything from towels and T-shirts to gift-wrap, Natasha's system for creating a serene home can be applied to any space, large or small.

This book is an essential companion for all those considering a house extension. Featuring checklists and guidance on how to ensure your project is a success, this essential guide distils all the practical information needed to run a project from dream to reality, highlighting the pitfalls along the way and suggesting ways to avoid them. Richly illustrated with inspirational examples and case studies, this book demystifies both the building process and all the surrounding issues to do with design, sustainability, budgeting, planning, regulations and the use of building contracts.

Written by a woodworker for fellow woodworkers, this book will teach how to get great designs out of readers' heads and into working drawings. They will create original furniture that is strong, attractive, and well-proportioned.Includes information on how to develop a design philosophy; how to apply standards of size, shape and style; how to select the proper materials and tools; and more.

New York Times best seller Ever since Gabrielle Stanley Blair became a parent, she's believed that a thoughtfully designed home is one of the greatest gifts we can give our families, and that the objects and decor we choose to surround ourselves with tell our family's story. In this, her first book, Blair offers a room-by-room guide to keeping things sane, organized, creative, and stylish. She provides advice on getting the most out of even the smallest spaces; simple fixes that make it easy for little ones to help out around the house; ingenious storage solutions for the never-ending stream of kid stuff; rainy-day DIY projects; and much, much more.

Getting--and staying--organized is a challenge in and of itself. Add motherhood to the mix, and you've got a whole new dimension of difficulty. So how does a busy mom stay on top of the daily chaos that children inevitably bring along with them? No matter what your situation is, Kristi Clover's home organization systems will work for you. Her foundational rules are highly adaptable and will help you make your home more efficient no matter where you live or how many kids you have (and how messy they are). She helps you prioritize, break down big jobs, declutter, develop age-appropriate chores for your kids, tackle the endless piles of laundry, and so much more. If you long to have a functional and fabulous home for your family and you're tired of feeling overwhelmed by all the work, this life-changing book is for you!

Holy reno inspo! Before & afters Styling how-to's Money-saving reno tips 'Australia's most fabulous renovators' Real Living magazine When best friends Erin, Bonnie and Lana ditched their corporate careers to start Three Birds Renovations, they were rookie renovators with big ideas. Today, with many incredible house transformations under their toolbelt, they're a power trio turning neighbourhood ugly ducklings into swans. If you lust over images of beautiful homes but feel stuck when it comes to your own space, these 'birds' have your back. The book is packed with gorgeous details from their projects, friendly words of encouragement and more than 400 reno tips to help you avoid budget blow-outs, manage trades and timelines, and style without stress. Whether you're starting small or going all-in with a whole-home reno, this is destined to become one of the most useful books you own. Turn your reno dreams into reality!

Turn the outdoor space you may not own into one that makes you feel at home. A gardening book unlike any other, RHS How to Garden When You Rent brings together projects, inspiration, and handy know-how specifically tailored to people who rent. With chapters designed around lease lengths, readers will find something for their outdoor space, whether they plan to rent for just a few months or expect to stay in their home for a several years or more. Written by Matthew Pottage, this must-have book combines creative ideas with serious gardening expertise - all without breaking the bank or needing countless hours of hands-on work. Keep your landlord happy and your garden in good shape with plenty of tips, tricks, and techniques for good garden maintenance, and discover ways of turning even the most unloved balcony, yard, or urban garden into a lush, welcoming space that you, your flatmates, and your friends can enjoy for as long as you choose to live there.

DIY enthusiasts, tiny house-lovers, and van-lifers will find inspiration and step-by-step instructions in Tin Can Homestead, the ultimate resource for living small in your own Airstream paradise. The Airstream trailer is the ultimate symbol of vintage wanderlust-and the classic touring vehicle's resurgent popularity has dovetailed with the tiny house movement, resonating with design-minded individuals looking to live small. Tin Can Homestead, based on the popular Instagram of the same name, is the ultimate resource for these would-be DIY-ers, and the perfect coffee-table addition for anyone looking for streamlined, modern lifestyle inspiration. Part practical how-to, part lushly illustrated design inspiration, Tin Can Homestead follows the story of one couple as they build themselves a new life in an old Airstream. Through personal stories and down-and-dirty checklists, this book guides readers through all stages of creating their own Airstream homes-from buying a trailer to plumbing and electrical work. With a hip, bohemian aesthetic and a fresh authorial voice, the authors pair their DIY knowledge with lifestyle advice-including decor, design, and entertaining-and abundant illustrations, from in-process photographs to hand-drawn illustrations.

A must-read for anyone with an adventurous spirit, a yen to whittle and chop, and a desire to get out into nature and play with sticks! These 50 achievable ideas for making and playing with sticks - all with beautiful step-by-step illustrations - make a great gift. The next title in Pavilion's best-selling outdoor adventure series, 50 Things to Do with a Stick will introduce you to the joy of making something out of almost nothing. With a few gathered twigs and sticks, start with simple ideas such as making plant markers or tent pegs and work up to constructing a lantern or woven basket. Working with wood is common to nearly every culture - it's nature's most adaptable raw material, malleable yet strong, and biodegradable. Until the 1960s woodworking was taught widely in schools, but since then has been in decline, robbing generations of the satisfaction of making useful things by hand. Richard Skrein begins by guiding you in choosing sticks and tools. Four chapters with evocative illustrations take you step by step through projects to use at home; to make music and decorative objects with; to play with; and to use out and about - the perfect accompaniments to a camping trip (2020 and 2021 saw unprecedented campsite bookings in the UK, and this trend is set to continue). This is the perfect book for anyone wishing to be more self-sufficient. Find your inner explorer with these battery-free, no-emission ideas! Chapters include: Home Sticks: cutlery, coat hooks, brooms, candlesticks Stick Craft: jewellery, weaving, mobiles, picture frames Stick Play: catapults, musical sticks, magic wands, story sticks Camp Sticks: lanterns, ladders, stools, stick bread! Word count: 15,000 words

Bestselling author Georgia Varozza takes the difficulty out of creating healing teas, general cleaning items, and personal care products. Her recipes, which have served generations of Plain people, contain common household ingredients and are easy to make and use. You'll find 99 creative ways to clean your home and heal your body with salves, ointments, and tonics for aches and pains teas for colds, flu, allergies, and headaches cleaning solutions for around the house (inside and out) You don't have to forego electricity or drive a horse and buggy to have your life and house benefit from the sweet simplicity of Amish remedies. You will find these home remedies to be so much easier and less expensive that you will wonder why you've been using chemicals for all of these years. You will also find information about Amish and Mennonite stores in case you wish to order practical products Plain people use and enjoy. Let these old-fashioned but eminently useful and effective options bring the simple life into your home every day.

Woodburning stoves have become incredibly popular and it's easy to see why. Not only do woodburners save money on fuel, they're a carbon-neutral way to heat your home and make a great looking feature in a room. If you're thinking of getting a woodburner, this comprehensive collection of basic information will guide you through everything you need to know, from choosing the most suitable stove for your needs to installing and operating one efficiently and safely.